Screw-propeller.



PATENTED APR. 3, 1906.

E. E. ADAMS. SCREW PROPBLLER. APPLIOATION FILED APR.13, 1905.

'tnesses Inventor.

a2] E.fldams M :9 y

unrrn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EARL E. ADAMS, BATTLE CREEK, MICHIGAN.

SCHEW-F'ROPELILER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 3, 1906.

Application filed April 13, 1905. Serial No. 265,262.

useful Improvements in Screw-Propellersy and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the marks of reference laced thereon, which form a part of this spec' cation.

This invention relates to screw-propellers for vessels; and the objects of the invention are to provide a propeller that can be shifted to direct a vessel either backward or forward or bring the boat to a stop without reversing or stopping the engine, to lock the propellerblades either to advance or 'recede at either side of their throw by a predetermined setga e, to reduce the size of the blade-head and re uce back draft, to prevent obstructions from accumulating in the propeller-gear pockets, to provide an end-thrust bearing and reduce friction to a minimum, to construct a packing or stufiing box that can be easily and readily manipulated, and, finally, it consists in sundry novel and useful features of construction, as will be more fully set forth in the following specification,and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents a longitudinal section through my improved stuffing-box and antifriction-bearing and showsa form of the propeller-head. Fig. 2 is a cross-section on the line a; :c of Fig. 1. Fi 3 is a perspective view of the main propellerbracket. Fig. 4 is an elevation of the propeller-head clamp. .Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the packing-box jam-nut; and Fig. 6 is a longitudinal section of the propellerhead, showingone of the propeller segmental shiflting-gears turned to its limittoward the rig t.

A represents the stern of a boat; B, the propeller driving-shaft; C, the main bracket or tail block; D, the propeller-head; E, the propeller-head clamp; F, the stuffing-box gland; G, the jamnut to the stuffing-box, and H the shifting mechanism for reversing the propeller-blades.

The propeller-shaft B has mounted thereon a shifting mechanism H, which comprises a separable grooved collar 1, secured to the shaft by means of set-screws 2, a trunnioned ring 3, encompassing the groove between said collars, being engaged by the lower extremities of a U-shaped shifting yoke 4, pivoted by a stud 5 to a quadrant-bracket. (Not shown.)

To the stern of a boat the stuffing-box F.

is attached. This box has an outward flange over which the main bracket C fits, and the bore of the box is'interiorly threaded and fitted with a corresponding jam-nut G, having holes 7 near the outer end thereof adapted to receive a spanner-wrench or other tool to adjust the same. The bracket 0 is secured by means of bolts passing through its flange, the flange of the packlng-box, and into the stern of a boat, as shown. This bracket 0 has opened sides, through which openin s the stufiing-box can be easily reache The outer extremity of the bracket C is interiorly threaded and forms a cup within which the antifriction end-thrust-bearing mechanism and the propeller-retaining c01 lar are adapted to be received.

The retaining-collar E has a threaded extremity and a'large interiorlygrooved extremity, the latter of which is provided with spanner-wrench holes 8, the threaded end fitting within the outer end of the bracket 0, as shown in Fig. 1. Within the collar and fitted against the web 9 of the bracket C and between the inner end of the hub D the antifriction-bearing mechanism is applied. This mechanism in the main comprises two hardened annular rings 10, between which balls 11 are adapted to play, the latter of which are caged between the concentric rin s 12.

That the collar E may be attac ed so that the flange 13 of the propeller-hub D may fit within the annular groove within the outer extremity thereof the collar is separated longitudinally into two equal sections, as shown y the line a a in Fi .A. The two sections are fitted over the the threaded extremity within the bracket the collar is prevented from se arating or releasing the propeller-hub. T 's hub is provided with a bore suflicientl long to ermit the shaft B to be longitudinally shi ted to regulate the pitch of the propeller-blades, and it is covered with a cap 14. At apoint within the hub where it is received by the collar a feather or key 15 is located. This key fits within a corresponding groove 16 within ICO the shaft B and provides a means to allowthe longitudinal adjustment of the shaft within the hub and at the same time prevents the hub from turning on the shaft.

7 Triangularly about the hub D and longitudinally therewith radial pockets 17 are provided, which intersect the central bore there- The projections of the hub within which these pockets are formed are bored crosswise for the reception of the shanks 18 of the propeller-blades 19. Within these pockets the blade adjusting gear 20 are mtroduced. These gear are formed with teeth suflicient only to permit of their rotating forty-five degrees in either direction, the end cogs abutting against the shoulders 21, formed at either side of the pockets, and that grass and other debris may not accumulate and tend to obstruct the gear Within their bearin s these pockets from the exterior are ma e only arge enough to allow the gear to fit freely therethrough. These gear mesh with the annular cogs 22 on the drive-shaft and are caused to oscillate and tilt the pitch of the 2 5s propeller-blades by the longitudinal thrust of I the shaft, as hereinbefore set forth. The veslongitudinal sections having a threaded end sel may be stopped or reversed according tothelead and rotation of the propeller-blades. Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is v 1. In a propeller, the combination of a stufiing-box, a bracket having openings in the side thereof mounted over said stuffingbox, a collar carried by said bracket, an antifriction-bearing fitted within said collar, a shaft passing through said stuffing-box and antifriction-bearings and a screw-propeller mounted upon the end of said shaft and adapted to bear against said antifrictionbearing, for the purposes set forth.

2. In a propeller, the combination of astufling-box, a bracket having openings in the side thereof mounted over said stufiingbox, and an opposite cupped extremity interiorly threaded, acollar comprising two adapted tofit within the threaded end of thereof adapted to be received said bracket and an enlarged o posite extremity having an interiorly annu ar groove, a propeller-hub having a flange on one end b said groove, antifiiction-bearings interpose of said bracket, a shaft passing through said 'withm said. collar between said hub and the cup-bottom ing, and secured tosaid propeller-hub, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a propeller, the combination of a bracket, a collar carried bysaid bracket,-anti friction-bearings fitted within said collar, a

passing through said pockets, a shaft passing through said collar, antifriction-bearings 1n said bracket, said shaft being longitudinally adjustable, means to rotate said hub with said shaft, means to longitudinally adjust said shaft, means to operate said blades with said shaft, and means to limit the throw of said blades within said pockets, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

4-. In an adjustable propeller, the combination with a shaft longitudinally adjustable and provided with annular cogs at its outer extremity, of a hub retained from longitudinal movement but rotatable therewith, secured upon the outer extremity of said shaft,

longitudinal pockets trian ularly arranged in the circumference of sai hub intersecting the bore of said hub, a shoulder formed at either end of said pockets, gear-segments operative within said ookets meshin with the annular 'cogsiof sald shaft, propel er-blades axially operative from said segments, the

shoulders at either side of said pockets adapted to engage and prevent said segmentsfrom rotating farther than a predetermined pitch of said blades, all arranged to coact' substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. In a propeller, the combination with a I shaft, a propeller secured at the'outer extremity of saidshaft, and a bracket encomassing said shaft, of a collar comprising two ongitudinally-separable sections, said collar havmg an interiorly-grooved outer extremity adapted to fit over an outwardly-turned flange on. said propeller-hub, and an opposite extremity exteriorly threaded and adapted to fit within a corresponding threaded outer extremity of said bracket, antifriction endthrust bearingsinterposed between said propeller and said bracket within the threaded extremity of said collar, and means to tighten said collar, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

f EARL E. ADAMS. Witnesses: Y

-, SroA. ENON,

KNIGHT. a 

